Inventing the Savage: the Social Construction of Native American Crime. Luana Ross. Austin: University of Texas Press. 1998. There is extensive literature on African American and Hispanic offenders and the punishment of men in the criminal justice system; however, there is not much literature on Native Americans or female offenders in the criminal justice system. Luana Ross attempts to break this trend with her research in Inventing the Savage: The Social Construct of Native American Criminality. In her book, Ross first gives a comprehensive history and perspective on the perception of Native Americans by what she describes as "Euro-Americans." In the second part of his book, Ross gives us an overview of the conditions and treatment of female inmates (particularly Native American women) in a Montana women's correctional facility (labeled WCC by the author). Ross was very qualified to write this work. . She is a member of the Flathead Indian Tribe in Montana, where much of her research and book is written. She has her Ph.D. He holds a doctorate in sociology and currently works as a professor of Native American studies at the University of Washington and co-director of a graduate program in Indian studies at the University of Washington. Due to his immense knowledge of the subject and its origin, Ross most likely had a particular interest in this book, and this translates well into the research. In Ross's words, her goal and purpose in writing this book was to write "...about the racialized and gendered experiences of incarceration, with a focus on Native American women and the loss of sovereignty as it is implicitly linked to Aboriginal crime…” because there was little information on this subject. This means that Ross studied... middle of paper ......Native Americans are given special privilege because of their culture. Inventing the Savage was an interesting insight into how Native Americans are expected to assimilate into culture, and because they have no desire to assimilate into "Euro-American" culture, they are treated harshly. Although this book was published in 1998 (15 years ago), Native Americans are most likely treated unfairly, both in mainstream society and in prisons. In writing this book, Ross gives an excellent perspective on how Native Americans are treated as "cultural prisoners" and how "Euro-Americans" do not appreciate the behavior of Native Americans. Overall, this book is highly recommended for anyone interested in learning more about Native American crime, as well as the treatment of women in prison, but more importantly, the treatment of Native Americans in prison even today..